- Odds: Maccabi Tel-Aviv are the clear favorites at 1.49, with Sheriff Tiraspol at 5.85 and the draw at 4.3.
- Recent form: Sheriff's latest run of results includes a 1-0 win over Aluminij and a 3-2 win over CS Petrocub in the league, both of which came before their 5-0 defeat to Maccabi.
Sheriff will be bruised and battered
Maccabi's edge
Maccabi Tel-Aviv are the big favorites to claim a place in the next round of UEFA Europa League Qualification against FC Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday, but the Moldovan side won't be an easy opponent at the Batumi Stadium in Georgia. However, Kenny Miller's side have the momentum, the talent and the confidence to see the job through this week.
The Israeli champions arrive in Georgia on the back of a five-game run (W3, D1, L1) that includes last week's 5-0 thrashing of Sheriff in the first leg. Miller, who took over as head coach on 1 July 2026, has stamped his authority on the squad in no time at all, and Maccabi look set to control this tie even if Sheriff can pull a miracle on Thursday. They have won three in a row
Sheriff's outlook
Sheriff will be hoping to get at Maccabi's obvious weak spot at the heart of their defence with wide attacking players, but Miller's 4-3-3 formation is built around width, aggressive full-backs and midfield runners, so they should also look to pin Sheriff back and exploit the channels.
Sheriff's recent run – a 1-0 win over Aluminij, a 3-2 victory over CS Petrocub and the 5-0 loss to Maccabi – shows the sort of team Victor Mihailov is building at Sheriff. He took charge on 1 June 2025 and has kept things relatively simple with a compact 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation that relies on a solid shape, counters and set pieces rather than long periods of possession.
Maccabi will win and the goals should flow
Miller's men will want to stamp their authority on the tie and having seen Sheriff up close last week, the most likely way to do that will be to put away another high-scoring game – so we're going with Over 2.5 goals at 1.65.
Sayed Abu Farkhi is Maccabi's main goal threat with two in one UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026 appearance, but Sheriff should have a few opportunities to score on the break, so we're not anticipating a clean sheet for the favorites.
- Maccabi are clear favorites at 1.49, and Sheriff at 5.85, with the draw at 4.3.
- Maccabi have won five, drawn two and lost three of their last ten in all competitions, while Sheriff have won six, drawn three and lost just one, so we'll go with the odds-on favourites to get the job done in Batumi.
- Maccabi's average of 2.50 goals scored and 1.50 goals conceded per game across all competitions points to a side that can be both ruthless and porous, while Sheriff's 14 goals in ten games and average of 1.40 per game suggests they are a more measured side than Maccabi.
